USS Boston - Definition and Overview

At least seven United States Navy ships have borne the name Boston, in honor of the city of Boston, Massachusetts.

• The first Boston was a gondola built at Skenesborough (present day Whitehall), New York, in 1776, mounting one 18-pounder and 2 12-pounder guns, and with a crew of 45. She took part in the Battle of Lake Champlain that delayed the British invasion and was burned to avoid capture by the British squadron, at Buttonmold Bay, New York, 13 October 1776.

• The second Boston was a 24-gun frigate, launched 1776 and active in the American Revolutionay War until captured by the British in 1780 along with USS Ranger and USS Providence.

• The third Boston was a 28-gun frigate that captured a French frigate in the Quasi-War, but was burned in the War of 1812..

• The fourth Boston was an 18-gun sloop of war commissioned in 1826 and wrecked in the Bahamas in 1846.

• The fifth Boston was a protected cruiser commissioned in 1887 and took part in the Spanish-American War.

• The sixth Boston (CA-69) was a heavy cruiser commissioned 1943 and active in both World War II and the Korean War.

• The seventh Boston (SSN-703) is a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine.